A recent New York Times article published in anticipation of the Memorial Tournament hosted by golfing great Jack Nicklaus notes that none of his heirs inherited his love for the game. Of his 22 grandchildren, only one, Gary Thomas Nicklaus, has tried competitive golf. Ironically the most gifted golfer of his grandchildren is Nick O’Leary, who shot a 5-over-par 77 10 years ago at age 12. But he was recently selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills after a four-year career as a tight end at Florida State University.

The saga of the Nicklaus family reflects the strongest example of a game that presently seems unable to sell itself to young athletes. As Nicklaus observed to the Times, “The game of golf is too slow, it’s too expensive and it’s too difficult.”

The world of golf is undergoing change. This year on June 18th, as the U.S. Open makes its maiden appearance in the Pacific Northwest at Chambers Bay in the State of Washington, there will be a new television team presenting the game to viewers. For decades, NBC broadcast the event to America and the world, but this year FOX Sports has been given the task of covering the second of golf’s four grand slam events. There will be many new faces reporting.

There also will be a number of new faces challenging for the title. Many of golf’s long-time major championship contenders seem to have their best days behind them. Tiger Woods’ difficulties are known to all. He recently posted his highest 18-hole score as a professional and continues to struggle to return his game to even a modicum of championship form. Former champions Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are plagued with inconsistent games. The new golf heroes are 26-year-old Rory McIlroy and 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. Earlier this year, Spieth won the Masters when most of his golfing contemporaries were still preparing for the NCAA college tournament. A new golfing era is upon us.

Thankfully, in a changing golf world, those who enjoy the game can always rely upon a spate of golf publications to appear during the time period between the Masters in April and the U.S. Open in June. This year is no different, and there are some new books that truly merit attention.

Any golf book by Dan Jenkins is a blessing for lovers of the game. The 85-year-old Texas sportswriter has been covering the sport since Ben Hogan and Sam Snead battled in major championships. This year marked Jenkins’ 65th Masters. He has presented readers with a wonderful collection of essays modestly titled UNPLAYABLE LIES: (The Only Golf Book You’ll Ever Need). Those who remember Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will revel in essays describing their exploits. Those who came to golf more recently will find the more current essays equally rewarding, but also will have the opportunity to learn something about the history of golf and what it was like before modern technology and equipment changed the game forever.

Jenkins’ essay on his meetings with Titanic Thompson epitomizes the generation-melding aspect of many stories in the book. While in his 70s, Thompson, a legendary golfer and hustler, contacted Jenkins and asked that he prepare a book or screenplay of his life in exchange for a one-million-dollar advance. While Jenkins declined Thompson’s suggestion, they did have some meetings in Texas and exchanged tales, including one of a match between Thompson and Nelson. As is often the case, the participants had slightly different recollections of the outcome.

UNPLAYABLE LIES is a superlative collection by an extraordinary writer. If you only read one golf book a season, get a copy of this one. You will not be sorry.

The enigmatic Ben Hogan, who has been featured in several Dan Jenkins essays, is the subject of a far more detailed biography in Tim Scott’s BEN HOGAN: The Myths Everyone Knows, the Man No One Knew. In the past decade, there have been numerous Hogan biographies as well as an equal number of books analyzing his swing and the “secret” to ball-striking that he believed he had discovered. Hogan’s own book, FIVE LESSONS, originally published in 1957, remains the number-one-selling golf instructional book on Amazon. Anyone even slightly familiar with golf knows of Hogan’s near-death experience in a car accident and his remarkable comeback to win three major golf championships in 1953.

Hogan had the reputation of being a stoic, distant and intimidating figure on the golf course and in his private life. Fellow Texan Jimmy Demaret did not understand why people thought Hogan was so cold. “When I play with him, he talks to me on every green,” Demaret said. “He turns to me and says, ‘You’re away.’”

Scott’s goal is to portray Hogan in a different light. The book is not a birth-to-death saga of Hogan’s career. Instead, Scott takes the myths surrounding Hogan and interviews family, acquaintances and co-workers to develop a more balanced look at his life. Working with Hogan after he retired from competitive golf and began manufacturing Hogan golf clubs, Scott saw an individual who was a far different person from the one portrayed by sportswriters. Scott’s goal is clear: he hopes to set the record straight about Hogan. “As one who met Ben Hogan, worked with him, played a few rounds of golf with him and observed him for many years, I got to know him as a man, not the myth.” Scott makes an admirable case for a different Ben Hogan, perhaps a man who in the contemporary sports world would be somewhat warmer and more outgoing. Sadly, we will never have the opportunity to know that side of him.

In the promotional material for GOLF’S FORGOTTEN LEGENDS: & Unforgettable Controversies by Jeff Gold, golfer Tom Lehman observes, “This is DEFINITELY unlike any other golf book you have ever read.” Lehman’s observation is, in some respects, an understatement. Gold has written a book that is chock full of information about many golfing legends that the average golf fan may meet for the first time. Others will recognize names and historical golf events, but will learn quite a bit more about golf history. GOLF’S FORGOTTEN LEGENDS will provide golfers with great golf trivia to use over drinks at the 19th hole, while waiting out a rain delay or travelling to a golf weekend.

Gold has compiled stories about many accomplished golfers who never became household names. He has a chapter on Cary Middlecoff, the dentist turned professional golfer who was a successful member of the PGA Tour in the 1950s. One thing we learn about Middlecoff is that he was the slowest player on the Tour. He would often smoke an entire cigarette before taking his next shot. Of course this was before television. There are chapters on golfing legend Harry Vardon, who we learn adapted the Vardon grip from Scottish amateur Johnny Laidlay. For those who use that grip, you are actually using the Laidlay grip. In each chapter, readers learn of the golfer, his record and some very interesting facts.

Although this is an enjoyable book, Gold is a little quirky in some of his writing. He has a problem with the film The Greatest Game Ever Played, an adaptation of the book by Mark Frost. The book and movie are the story of Francis Ouimet’s victory in the 1913 U.S. Open, and Gold is upset over the movie portrayal of several golfers he covers in GOLF’S FORGOTTEN LEGENDS. Repeatedly in his book, he attacks what he views as factual errors in the film. This is akin to an attorney attacking a John Grisham book or movie because the judge’s rulings are legally incorrect. It is a movie and cannot be completely factual. But none of this should deter readers from enjoying an interesting addition to golf history.

I began golfing at age 13, roughly the same age that I spent a summer as a caddy at a nearby country club. My first golfing hero was Arnold Palmer. I was not alone. Palmer changed golf, and now decades after his retirement from competitive golf, he is one of the sport’s top money earners. Contemporary professional golfers, some born after Palmer had retired from the game, freely acknowledge that they owe their million-dollar checks to him. MEN IN GREEN by Michael Bamberger is difficult to characterize but easy to read and savor. Bamberger, a writer for Sports Illustrated and former PGA Tour caddy, decided to travel across the country to meet and interview 18 individuals connected with the professional golf tour. These golfers were divided into two lists of nine: living legends and secret legends. One of the secret legends, Mike Donald, an unknown golfer whose brief moment of fame came in 1990 when he finished second in the U.S. Open, accompanied Bamberger on his journey. Each subject had one common question: Bamberger wanted to know when they fell in love with the game of golf.

The chapters of MEN IN GREEN that cover the legends, including well-known champion golfers Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Venturi and others, offer some fresh insights on them. They are written in a breezy style that combines interesting anecdotes with comfortable conversation. Readers will feel as though they are sitting in with Bamberger and his subjects. In the chapters where we meet the secret legends, this style also works perfectly. The secret legends never won major championships or thrilled millions with their golfing exploits. They are simply people who made contributions to golf that many of us do not know about. They ran tournaments, wrote about the game or perhaps televised it to interested fans. Their achievements are richly detailed and discussed here.

This is a wonderful book for the golf lover, but even those casual golfers or golf fans might view the game with a different point of view after reading Bamberger’s outstanding work.

Finally, no discussion of golf titles is complete without at least one instructional book. Long ago, I realized that there is no holy grail of golf instruction that can be placed between a front and back cover. But I continue to read golf instruction books, looking for tiny nuggets of help that will add something to my game. David Leadbetter is one of golf’s best-known golf gurus, operating golf academies around the world. His students include Michelle Wie and Lydia Ko, who have won numerous major championships. THE A SWING: The Alternative Approach to Great Golf is Leadbetter’s eighth instructional book.

The “A” in the title stands for “alternative.” The theory is simple: develop a swing that is consistent and repetitive but simple enough that it can be accomplished with minimum practice. It also should not be physically taxing on the body. With the assistance of biomechanical experts, Leadbetter has developed a plan for a more simple swing. The book also includes a seven-minute practice plan.

I cannot tell you if it works or not, as I have not had a lot of time so far this year to spend on the practice tee. I would rather play than practice. Maybe that is my problem. But I will put Leadbetter’s theory to the test this summer. Who knows? Perhaps it is the answer to the riddle that has been my golf game for nearly 50 years on the links.

            --- Compiled and written by Stuart Shiffman